Can you solve the buried treasure riddle? - Daniel Griller

翻译人员: Frank Wang 校对人员: Monkey Luffy

“一切都是谜，一个谜的答案是另一个谜。” ——拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生，《生化的准则·幻觉》

After a massive storm tears through the Hex Archipelago,

一场强烈的暴风雨袭击六角群岛后，

you find five grizzled survivors in the water.

你在海上发现了 五名战战兢兢的生还者。

Shivering their timbers,

恐惧发抖的生还者说

they explain that they’re the former crew of the great pirate Greenbeard,

他们是绿胡子大海盗的前水手。

who marooned them after they tried to mutiny.

他们因为叛变而被放逐。

Each was bound up in a different spot on a small island,

他们每人原本被捆绑 在一座小岛上的不同位置，

until the storm washed them out to sea.

后来暴雨来袭才被冲到海中。

In gratitude for saving them, they reveal a secret:

为了报答你拯救他们， 他们向你揭示一个秘密：

the island they were on is also where Greenbeard has buried his treasure hoard.

他们被捆绑的岛屿上 藏着绿胡子的宝藏。

But when the sailors try to describe the island, something seems off.

但是，当水手尝试描述该岛屿时， 每个人所给的描述却不一。

All agree it was flat and barren with no prominent features except for some trees.

每人都同意该岛平坦而且荒芜， 除了一些树木就没有其他明显的特征。

Yet each pirate claims they saw a different number of trees,

但是每一位海盗却说 他们看见不同数量的树，

ranging from two to six.

数目从两棵到六棵不等。

The pirate who saw two trees says the treasure was buried right at his feet.

看到两棵树的海盗说 宝藏就藏在他的位置之下。

When you fly your hot air balloon over the area to investigate,

当你升起热气球搜索该海域时，

you see hundreds of small islands, each with exactly six trees.

你看到上百座小岛， 每座都有六棵树。

The next storm will be here soon,

下一场暴雨即将来袭，

so you’ll have to hurry and narrow your search.

你必须把握时机，把搜索范围缩小。

What does the island with Greenbeard’s treasure look like from the sky?

绿胡子宝藏所在的小岛 的俯视图是怎么样的呢？

And where will the treasure be on that island?

而且宝藏会在该岛的什么位置呢？

Pause here if you want to figure it out for yourself!

如果你想事先自己解答， 请在这儿暂停播放视频。

Answer in 3

答案：三秒

Answer in 2

答案：两秒

Answer in 1

答案：一秒

It might seem like the pirates are delirious from dehydration.

那些海盗似乎因脱水而神志不清。

But that’s not what’s going on.

但事实并非如此。

Remember, each was confined to a separate point on the island,

记得，每一位海盗都 被绑在该岛的某一位置，

and no two of them could see the same number of trees.

而且他们每位都看见不同数目的树。

That means that for all but one pirate, something was blocking their view.

这表示他们当中 只有一位的视野是不被阻挡的。

And since there are no other features on the island,

既然岛上没有其他特征，

that something could only have been other trees.

阻挡他们视野的只有岛上其他的树。

A pirate would see fewer trees when two or more

从海盗的观点来看， 如果两棵或以上的树

fell along a straight line from their vantage point.

排成直线，那位海盗可看见的树 的数目就变少了。

So we need to find the island

所以我们想要找的岛屿

where five different pirates standing in different spots

必须当五位海盗位于不同的位置时，

would each see a different number of trees.

每位所看到的树的数目将会不一样。

Virtually every island has a position from which you can see six trees.

几乎所有岛屿都有一个位置 是可以看到所有六棵树的。

And on most islands there’s a position where 5 trees can be seen

而且大多数岛屿也有个位置 是可以看到五棵树的，

by standing in line with two of them.

尤其是其中两棵排成一条线。

It turns out that the hardest locations to find are those with fewer visible trees

最难找到的则是可观察的树木 比较少的位置，

precisely because they require more trees to line up with the viewer’s position.

原因是因为从观察者的观点， 这些位置需要更多的树木排列成线。

So how can we see just two trees?

那么一个人怎么可以只看到两棵树呢？

One way would be if all the trees were lined up in single file,

其中一种排法是如果所有的树 都排成一条线，

such as on this island.

跟这座小岛的一样。

Then, you could stand at the end of the line and see one,

这样，如果你站在尾端， 就可看到一棵树，

stand in the middle and see two,

站在中间就可看到两棵，

or stand anywhere else and see all six.

或站在任何其他位置看到六棵。

But there’s no place from which you can see only three,

但是这种排法却无法看到三棵、

four,

or five,

四棵、

或五棵树。

so one straight line of trees is out.

所以所有树木排成一条线是不可能的。

So what about two lines of trees?

如果所有的树木排成两排呢？

So long as the lines aren’t parallel and they intersect over land,

只要这两排树不是平行的， 而且它们的交叉点是在岛上，

there’ll always be a position where the two lines converge

总有个位置， 也就两条线交汇的地方

from which you could see exactly two trees.

你是可以看到两棵树的。

And if they’re grouped two and four,

如果排列是两棵和四棵、

or three and three,

或两排各三棵、

there are many arrangements in which you could also see three,

该岛就有不同的位置能让你看到三棵、

four,

四棵、

five,

五棵、

and six trees.

或六棵树。

Fortunately for us, there’s only one island in the archipelago

很幸运的，群岛上只有一座岛

with two non-parallel lines of trees,

有两排树是非平行的，

and it’ll be buried at the intersection of the two lines.

宝藏就埋在这两排树的交叉点。

You land on this island and dig up a chest containing a massive pile of tree seeds,

你在这座岛上着陆，把箱子挖出来， 发现里面装着一大堆树种，

ready for planting.

随时供播种使用。

Was this treasure really worth all that trouble?

这个宝藏值得你费力搜寻吗？

That’s a matter of perspective.

这要看你的观点了。

你是否订阅了TED-Ed的谜题系列？

如果是，两个月前你几乎被古怪的巫师捉住。

上个月，你成功抓拿了正逃避的太空叛徒。

你刚刚才抢到绿胡子的种子。

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